It's Wiggle Time!

We are- and always have been-- a Wiggles family. Like it or not, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Captain FeatherSword, Wags the Dog, Anthony, Greg (now Sam), Jeff and Murray are all members of our clan. Many a therapist has come to work in this house and upon leaving, you can guarantee that they have a Wiggles tune or two, playing in their heads. Lucky for Jon and I, they've grown on us but I know for some, the sound of a Wiggles song is like nails on a chalkboard.

Back in Ontario, I think we counted that Jake has seen them in concert three times and the twins, once. In fact, when we took Owen and Will to the concert, it was there that I really noticed that some of Owen's 'quirks' weren't normal. He flapped so hard (in excitement) that I thought he was going to fly to the stage. It wasn't long after that we received their diagnosis. I digress.. So Jonathan saw that the Wiggles were coming to Alberta and he was on a mission to get tickets. We knew that if the seats were far away, the boys probably wouldn't sit through the whole show because they wouldn't be as involved. Jon lucked out and found a family through the classifieds, who was selling 10th row floor seats. We bought 4, then later tacked on 3 more in a not-so-great section for Jake and Erin and Courtney. Jake understood that this day was for his brothers, since he had not only seen them 3 times previously, but he had also been to many other concerts and plays that his brothers had not. Erin and Courtney's reason for joining us... they begged to come. Can you blame them?

the New Wiggles (Erin and Courtney)

Jonathan and I were so nervous, probably because we were SO excited for the boys and wanted them to enjoy themselves. Did I mention that they are Wiggles-obsessed? The biggest disappointment for us would be if they couldn't care less that they were there. Well.. they more than impressed us. When the dancers came out on to the stage, Owen started flapping and Will just looked shocked.

checking out the Wiggles

Now just for some background, we don't really go anywhere with all of the boys. Like.. nowhere. Not because we don't want to, but the behaviours are so bad that it's not worth it. I shouldn't say that. The boys need to experience everything they can, from popping in to pick up milk at the variety story, to eating in a restaurant. We have learned to tolerate the looks that people give us when there is a tantrum and I can assure you that more than once we have left our shopping cart in the middle of the store and high-tailed it outta there with a wailing kid under each arm. The problem now is that Will is just too quick and too strong for one adult to handle both of the twins at once. When things are going great, they're great. But in the middle of a grocery store, if one decides to run away, while the other is kicking and thrashing on the floor, which one do you abandon to help/find the other? So I opt to not put ourselves in that position so that I don't have to make that decision. Admittedly, it's a bandaid solution that is not fair to the boys. Hence, taking the risk and going to the Wiggles.

So when we managed to sit through an entire concert without a single meltdown, or runaway attempt (besides the minor detail of Will trying to steal another concert-goers Wiggles dolls), we were thrilled. About halfway through, Owen started to get a bit restless and seemed to prefer watching the dancing kids over the crazy guys on stage, but Will was absolutely awe-struck. I haven't seen him that calm and compliant in AGES! He just kept staring at them as if to say "how did they get from my tv to right in front of me?". He really seemed to make the connection, whereas Owen was entertained because it was something fun, but I'm not sure he really got it.

So Kudos to Jonathan for making a memory for our boys. We really did have fun. I must admit that I can't wait for the day when we can graduate the concert-going to something a little more mature. Someday.

Jake had fun.. but I'm sure he would have rather seen Taylor Swift again instead

Twinkletoes, Plexiglass & a Sport Jonathan Sucks At

So we copied Lisa, Owen and Ella. A couple of weeks ago they tried out bowling for the first time and I was jealous. Jealous that I hadn't thought of it first for an activity for our guys. So we tried it out yesterday and I'd say it was a success.

We were lucky enough to have Erin join us as well. Erin was the boys' senior therapist up until August, when she moved to Edmonton to pursue her education in occupational therapy. She's back in town for a bit and it's been so nice to see her for fun visits and not just to 'put the boys to work'.

Saturdays are a busy day for us. Jake has dance in the mornings, Owen goes to music class (where he joins his friend Eric), Daddy usually has a Liverpool FC game to watch (and cry over). Will gets to chill out with whoever is left over. Yesterday after picking Jacob up from dance while Jonathan and Owen were at music, I took Will and Jake to a Christmas craft fair. Christmas already??!!!! There are a lot of things little boys shouldn't touch at a Christmas craft fair. What a challenge. Afterwards, we spent an hour at the playground. It's worth noting that Owen and Will can both independently sit on a 'big-kid' swing and hold on by themselves!! It's a good thing, because they are getting too big to sit on our laps. Back to bowling.

The kids were so excited in the beginning. Owen quickly seemed to understand how it all worked, as he enjoyed bowling at home with the plastic set we have. He understood the sequence of picking a ball, standing at the line, then watching the ball go down the lane until it went out of sight (often in the gutter, but not always!). Will on the other hand.. his first try he sprinted down the lane to chase after the ball. He was too quick for dad and he managed to crash through the plexiglass barrier (that you might be able to see if you look hard enough in the picture). There was a huge crash. The place went silent. Will started to cry, then Owen got mad and cried at Will. Fun times. It didn't ruin our fun, but I think Will's interest waned a bit afterwards now that he realized he couldn't run. I brought Will's MP3 Player, so he was pretty cool, listening to music on the bench.

Jake was a superstar. He bowled a couple of strikes (too bad for him, one of them was played in my turn by accident).

Erin's "strike" face

The best part of the whole day was that Jonathan stinks at bowling. Am I cruel to say this? Nah. He knows it. And I love it. There was a point during our game when he realized that I was beating him. He gets the ball and switches it to his left hand (he's right-handed). He makes a big production out of announcing that he's going to bowl with his left. Now I know Jonathan. He is the most competitive person I know. Losing to his wife is probably the biggest stab to the heart he can endure. So when he tells me that he's going to bowl left-handed I know a set-up when I see one. So the next time you talk to him and make fun of him for losing to his wife and he says "but I bowled a few frames with my left hand".. remember that he was losing BEFORE he resorted to such weeny tactics.

Petting Farm Trip

Monday morning was a really fun day for us. Timing was in our favour for once and the twins' school had an organized field trip to a petting farm on the same morning that Jake & Jonathan had the morning off. We all went together and it was especially nice because for Jonathan and I, the whole time wasn't spent chasing Owen or Will because their teachers were there (Monique, Erin & Courtney). We just got to enjoy the day.

Here are a few photos from the past week to keep you happy:

Owen, Erin & Will

Dad & Will on the wagon ride

Jake practising for his GQ photo shoot

Owen riding the pony

Will (with Courtney) NOT wanting to ride the pony

Our three little pigs

I think they were looking at goats in this picture

from L to R: Jacob, Will, Owen M., Owen & Harry

Owen was smiling and happy the entire morning. It was amazing to watch how much he loved seeing all of the animals, compared to our days at the Knox Farm last year, when he was so complacent and disinterested

Milking goats - Will & Erin in background, Monique and Owen in front

More Owen.. this time Singing

We'll try to make tomorrow's posts all about Will, in case he's jealous of all of the coverage his bros. are getting.

I can't help sharing these two videos. They both highlight Owen's efforts at speech as well as his attention to the songs that are being sung. Jake is an amazing brother to Owen and Will and we love him for how hard he tries to keep them involved and entertained.

Enjoy!


Erin works with Owen on some speech. Listen to Erin and Owen sing "Puff Puff Toot Toot!"



During a recent visit, Grandma got to snuggle with Owen & Jake on the couch while having a sing-song.

We Love Chicken Noodle Soup!

Correction: it's not Knorr's. It's even better...

Erin Loves Soup!

We were so excited to hear that our 'cousin' Erin was selected to appear on a label of the Knorr's soup package! Seeing her picture, it's no wonder why she was chosen! Mom Kathy, Dad Dan and grandparents Elio & Rena are very obviously proud.